


5  "platonic" touches and 1 not so platonic

by simplykrash



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: 5 + 1, 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, First Kiss, Flirting, Massage, Pre-Relationship, Romance, Slow Burn, erin's a little confused, holtz is flirty, secretly pining, slowburn?, they're in love, this is soft, very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:47:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24203872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplykrash/pseuds/simplykrash
Summary: basically 5 times Erin touches Holtzman and the one time it goes somewhereand an excuse for me to write some slow burnsoft babies who are secretly pining
Relationships: Erin Gilbert & Jillian Holtzmann, Erin Gilbert/Jillian Holtzmann
Comments: 18
Kudos: 88





	1. one

Holtz flirted with everyone, that's why it didn’t matter. 

It didn't matter that her heart sped up every time she flashed her a smile or every time Holtz winked or smirked or even just met her eyes. 

Erin did her best to try not to let it get to her. She took many quick breaks to the bathroom, in an attempt to stop the red spreading across her cheeks. She splashed cold water over her face to rid her mind of the wink from Holtzmann that played on repeat in her head. 

And don’t even get her started on pet names. 

“Baby, pass me that, please.”

“Thanks, hon”

“Looking good, babe” 

It happens on the daily. Rationally Erin knows that Holtz is just a flirty person and that she calls everyone pet names. But she can’t help that it goes to her head a little bit. And maybe, just maybe, laying in her bed at night she can imagine those names being used in  _ other _ circumstances. 

And because Holtz knows how the blatant flirting gets her all riled up. She pushes her luck and starts  _ touching  _ Erin more. She’ll laugh and place a rough but beautiful hand on Erin’s arm. She’ll tell a joke (probably at Erin’s expense) and place a firm hand on her knee. And the worst one(or best but that's a secret), is in passing Erin, she grabs her hips or drags her hand softly across Erin's back. Now Erin hates it when men do it, but she can't bring herself to tell Holtz off for the unnecessary movement. She actually  _ loves it.  _

Erin has never been one who has a lot of physical contact with people. She’s reserved and doesn’t like circumstances where she doesn’t know how someone will react. But with Holtzmann it is different. 

She gets so used to Holtz’s touch. She becomes a kind of addicted. And once, when Holtz places her hands loosely around Erin’s sides while scooting around her. Erin presses herself into her hands. It’s exhilarating. Even Holtz who seems to never get flustered, in a way Erin doesn’t understand, ducks her head and blushes while sending a shy smile at her. 

That's where it all shifts. Erin now understands the pleasure of making someone react like that. She loves the scarlet clouds that spread over Holtz’s pale cheeks when she blushes and she loves the way she tucks a loose blonde curl behind her ear. The way that she becomes surprised when Erin reciprocates and seems to become smaller than her already adorably tiny self. 

So, Erin decides at that moment, she’ll do her best to start touching her. Maybe it means nothing or maybe it doesn’t. Erin doesn’t care. She just wants to see it again. 

**one**

It happens outside. The wind is strong and the rain is drizzling. The ghostbusters had just finished a mainly straight forward bust and were walking back to Ecto-1 when it started to rain harder. 

Erin, surprisingly, had not gotten slimed on this trip. 

“Come on, the one time I don’t get slimed we get poured on!” she exclaims. 

“Ah, it’s okay, hot stuff. I’ve got an umbrella.” Holtzmann winks. 

Holtz pulls an umbrella seemingly out of nowhere, then explains there was an expandable one in her suit for emergencies.”

“Come share” Holtz directs Erin. While she gives a second umbrella to Abby and Patty walking along beside them. 

Erin shifts till she is sufficiently under the umbrella. Holtz’s left arm presses into hers, effectively covering her own in goosebumps. She hopes Holtz can’t tell. But by the small smirk on her mouth, she guesses that she can.

“Cold?” asks Holtzmann with a smile playing on her face. 

Instead of giving up her power so easily. Erin moved her hand up to help hold the umbrella. In doing this she brushes Holtz’s hand with her own and shifts slightly so her thumb rests just barely touching Holtz’s pinky. 

She smiles when she realizes Holtz’’s smirk has slipped off her lips and again a small blush appears. She likes the even small amount of power that allows her to get Holtz to blush. 

But there is one problem, which is that Holtz is beautiful. Somehow the small amount of rain emphasized her beauty. Her blond hair pulled up in some kind of knot has flyaways seeping out of it nicely framing her face. Her sharp blue eyes, brightened by the raindrops that had slipped down her face. Her dimples emphasized on her brightly smiling face. And her lips, god, they were beautifully shaped and with a perfect pink tint. 

She glances up from Holtz’s lips after probably an embarrassing amount of time. Holtz moves her hand down and grabs Erins on top of the pole. She winks and squeezes her hand. 

Erin blushes the rest of the walk, her heart pounding in her chest. 


	2. two

**two**

  
  


Holtz was in her lab, 80’s music blasting, her voice screaming the lyrics. She was working on a new prototype that would help them be oh so much more efficient. Her hands tinkered with the metal in front of her and occasionally she would scribble down some notes in her notebook. 

Erin was also up in the lab attempting to work. She had her notes spread out as she wrote on the whiteboard in front of her. It was late, at about 12 o’clock. The team had spent the day at the firehouse working to improve. Erin had slipped off her shoes and was standing on her bare feet, in her skirt, and matching blouse. 

For a disturbing and embarrassing amount of minutes, Holtz watched Erin. She watched as her calf muscles flexed and contracted as she stepped on her toes, as her blouse rode up just a tiny bit to expose some smooth, tan skin of her stomach, as her delicate fingers brushed her hair out of her face. 

They work in each other's company for a couple more minutes before Erin hears a soft grunt. She turns to find Holtz stretching her arms and hopping in an attempt to reach something from a high shelf. 

“You need help, Holtz?” Erin questions. 

“Uh, no I’ve got it” Holtzmann persists. 

“Alright, no, let me help you” she emphasizes. 

Erin walks over and places her hand on Holtz’s side and pushes her slightly out of her way. Now it's Erin’s turn to grunt and stretch. Both being fairly short, neither could reach the object up high on the shelf. 

“Okay, hold on, squat down.” Holtzmann says. 

“What? Why?” Erin asks, confused. 

“I’m gonna climb on your shoulders.” Holtzmann says with a wicked grin. 

“Um, no you are not. What if you fall? I’m not sure if I can carry you.” Erin nervously states. 

“Sure you can, Gilbert, I believe in you.” 

“Wow, thanks” is the sarcastic response she receives from Erin, who is also rolling her eyes. 

“I really need to get this, Er-bear” she pouts

Erin stares at Holtz: with her bottom lip stuck out and undeniably cute puppy dog eyes. “Shoot, fine.” 

Erin squats down and Holtz carefully places her thighs around Erin’s shoulders and her hands press into Erin’s hair. Erin shakily attempts to stand up while steadying herself against a nearby cabinet. Not only is she barely bigger than Holtz who is currently seated on her shoulders but Holtz warm thighs covered by some cargo pants are basically  _ pressed _ into her head distracting her while Holtzmann’s hands grip at her hair, which is slightly painful but also sending heat pooling somewhere she’d rather not be feeling right at this moment. 

“Having fun?” Holtzmann smirks from atop her shoulders.

“Oh, you have no idea” Erin teases back. 

Once she has gotten her balance shifts over slightly to right in front of the dreadful object causing all  _ this. _

(this meaning the blush across her cheeks, her face painfully warming, hands sweating, and maybe a  _ tiny  _ amount of enjoyment from Holtz’s squeezing thighs. 

Holtz reaches out her hand to grab the object and just as she does, leans a bit too far forward causing Erin, afraid of Holtzmann falling, to lean back some to balance out the momentum. But maybe, she jerks a bit too hard and they both go falling backward on the floor in a very incriminating position. 

Holtz’s  _ entire body  _ is pressed into Erin’s. Her thigh instead of under her hands is pressed between Erin’s causing a small shiver down her spine. Erin's hand (unfortunately? She doesn't really know how she feels about it yet) is slightly resting on top of Holtzmann’s boob. 

“If you wanted to touch, you could’ve just asked” winks Holtzmann. 

Erin jerks her hand away and scrambles up. 

And of course (because Erin just needed an audience to make this even more embarrassing) she hears a laugh come from the top of the stairs. It belongs to Patty. 

“Ladies, please keep in PG at work.” laughs Patty. 

Erin blushes yet again. 

“What just happened?” Patty questions. 

“Holtz needed something from a shelf and neither of us could reach it so she climbed on my shoulders, but then we fell and well… you saw the rest.”

“Ah. Of course” Patty states as she goes back down the stairs. 

As Patty disappears, Holtz quickly reaches out and taps Erin’s breast.

“Tit for tit,” Holtz says, trying to keep a straight face. 

“I don't think that's the saying.” Erin attempts not to blush (again) and tries to keep her face from betraying her. 

“Well it fits” Holtz grins. 

Erin thinks she has the most beautiful smile, the way it stretches across her face in pure joy. She slips her arm around Erin’s shoulders and says “That was fun, we should do it again.”

“Hmm, maybe we should,” Erin says as she turns and meets her eyes. 

Jillian Holtzmann smiles even wider. 

And Erin  _ knew _ that she would do anything to see that smile again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! thanks for reading, leave any thoughts, ideas, criticism in the comments! id love to hear what would make this story better!!
> 
> again thanks for reading and the next chapter will hopefully be up sometime soon
> 
> have a great night/day - g


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by kates beautiful self in her beautiful outfit in the vanity fair powerpoint thing
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELQfBOJOds0

**three**

As soon as Holtzmann stepped out of her lab, Erin knew she was screwed. 

Normally Holtz’s outfits were constructed of loose crop tops, overalls (more often than not splattered with paint), leather jackets, striped shirts, and an occasional loose tie around her neck.

But  _ this _ , this was different. Erin had never seen her like this before.

She was wearing a red sleeveless dress that fell to a couple of inches above her knee. Under her dress was a silky black number with loose sleeves falling about three fourths the way down her arms with a cute tie dangling down the front. Erin has never seen Holtzmann in anything ever resembling a dress, and just this was enough to almost send her into shock. 

That was until she looked up and,  _ god,  _ Holtz looked absolutely stunning. Her apparently long blond hair was down in loose curls draped over her shoulders. Her eccentric yellow glasses had been replaced with black ones with large frames. 

“Um- How do I look?” Holtz softly questions, her large personality replaced by a seemingly nervous one. 

“Damn, girl, you look SO good” Patty yells. 

“Holtz, you look gorgeous.” says Abby. 

Erin just stares. 

And stares. 

And stares. 

“Erin?” someone questions (she’s a little out of it) 

“U-uh, wow-w, Holtz” 

“Really?”

“You look absolutely beautiful” she quietly adores. 

Holtz looks down and blushes. Then snaps out of the trance they were in when Patty asks her a question. “What are you all dressed up for anyway?” 

“Dr. Gorin asked me to come present some science PowerPoint to inspire kids to go into STEM.” she replies. 

“Aw, Holtz, it’s nice that you’re doing this.” Abby says to the engineer.

“Thanks, Abbs. Well I’ve got to get going” 

“Bye, Holtzy, have fun” 

“Good luck, baby” 

“Uh, see you later” Erin mutters. 

Holtz walks out the door. Erin stares at her the whole way. 

Meanwhile, Abby and Patty are whispering to themselves. 

“Ya think Holtz can tell that Erin’s got a major crush on her?” Patty asks. 

“Oh, honey, I’m not even sure if Erin knows Erin’s got a major crush on her.” Abby replies. 

They then watch as a shell-shocked Erin Gilbert almost walks a wall with her blushing face and brain jumbled to no end. "Whoops."

Many hours later Holtz returns, a smile plastered on her face, her dimples very apparent. She walks straight in and falls into Erin’s arms. 

“Jeez, Children are a LOT of work” 

After getting over her shock of the woman in her arms, Erin replies. “Hmm, You mean someone with a crazy amount of energy, pretty loud, doing dangerous things without a care in the world, constantly getting off topic? … I feel like I know someone like that. And they are a lot of work.”

“Shut up, Gilbert.” 

“Never.” Erin answers while softly patting Holtz’s back to comfort her. While with the other hand she strokes the soft sleeves of her shirt. Holtz’s face presses into her neck and her arms wrapped loosely around Erin’s back. 

“Did I tell you earlier, that you look really good?” Erin asks. 

“What? This old thing?” she asks as she slowly pulls out of Erin's grip. 

Finding some bravery, Erin shakily reaches her hand forward and takes some of the silky blonde hair in her hand. “I like your hair like this.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I do… it makes you look like a princess.”

“Wow, Erin, you seem to have figured out how to make me blush.” she says as she ducks her head to hide the rising pink on her cheeks. 

“Do you want some food? We ordered Chinese.” 

“Yes, absolutely.”

They all sit on the couches surrounding their TV with X-files playing in the background. They talk, eat, and laugh, while Holtz tells stories about the kids and her time with Dr. Gorin. During one particularly funny story about one of the kids she had met (that was _very_ similar to herself), Erin has tears leaking out of her eyes from laughing so hard. Somehow while laughing, her hand finds itself on the top of Holtzmann’s bare knee. By some magic god of courage, she leaves it there, just for a couple of seconds. Her hand brushes soft skin leaving a trail of goosebumps over her pale skin. Holtz turns to smile and places her hand on top of Erins and squeezes. Once she releases Erin’s hand, Erin also pulls away. Leaving her cheeks wet from laughing and a tingling hand.

They finish their dinner and they begin to head home. Abby and Patty both grab their things, say their goodbyes, and walk out the door. Erin grabs her things and is about to head out the door when Holtz calls out to her. 

“Goodnight, Erin” she yells while winking, flipping her hair, and turning to head back up to her lab. 

And yet again Erin watches her as she walks away, with a new appreciation for Holtzmann’s hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again, thanks for reading. leave your thoughts or whatever below- if you want include something that you would like to see. im excited to keep writing this!
> 
> have a great day or night  
> -g


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cuddles ;)

**four**

Holtz knows she needs some sleep, she does. She can feel her eyelids drooping, her eyelashes close in front of her, her vision is blurry, and her brain is hazy. But the second her head hits a pillow, she’s wide awake. She doesn’t know why, she can’t explain it, she really wishes it would stop. Although it might seem to others that this inability to sleep is nothing new. Since she is seemingly always at work. Yes, her sleep schedule might be a bit short or messed up but at least she  _ slept _ . Now she’s just not sleeping at all.

That’s why she is here, at the firehouse, at 2 in the morning. At this point, she’s not even getting anything done anymore. She’s only slowly moving her body around her lab while her brain tries to make any sort of sense about what’s in front of her.

She’s sitting on a stool, her head in her hands, staring at one of her new creations in front of her. She’s trying to figure out a tiny detail to fix it when she hears a noise.

The door opens and in walks Erin. She looks comfortable. She's wearing some black leggings and a long sweater that reaches mid-thigh. To Holtz, it looks like she’s glowing. It might be the intense sleep deprivation but Erin just looks so  _ pretty  _ in the haziness of the night. The lights of the lab are dimmed in an unsuccessful attempt to tire herself to the point where she automatically falls asleep.

Erin also looks tired. She’s carrying her phone and keys in one hand and a small notebook in another.

“What are you doing here so late?” Holtz questions in a sleepy, soft voice.

“I had a breakthrough on a problem, It just hit me and I needed to come to fix it. What about you, you look tired.”

“Oh, yeah, a little. I’m working.” Holtz lies, she doesn’t want Erin to worry.

“Okay, I’m gonna work for a bit, then I’ll be out of your hair.” Erin assures her.

Holtz sits at her stool, her chin resting on her palms, and just watches Erin. She watches her pen scratch on the paper, watches her fingers type, and watches as she occasionally huffs a breath or tucks her hair behind her ears.

She doesn’t know how much time has passed, but eventually Erin sighs and slips from her stool to walk over to Holtz. “Whatcha working on?”

“Ugh, trying to fix a few kinks in this” she gestures to the new invention in front of her set on the table.

“You should go home, get some sleep, trying again tomorrow.” Erin insists.

“Uh, well…” Holtz stammers.

“What's wrong, Holtz?” she questions.

“I kind of haventbeenabletosleep” she rambles.

“I'll be right back,” Erin replies. Then she walks down through the door towards the kitchen, breakroom area. She heats some water, then pours it in two cute animal mugs and then places the tea bag in them. She grabs them and walks back to Holtz.

“I used to have sleeping problems and tea always helps. You wanna watch a movie or something to take your mind off of it?”

“I don’t wanna disturb you, Erin. You should go back home, I'll be fine.”

“No, really Holtz, I’d like to.”

“Okay.”

Erin gathers extra blankets lying around and sets them on the couch. She sets up pillows for them.

“Do you need some extra clothes? I always have some extra.”

“Um, yeah that’d be nice actually.”

Erin half skips out of the room to get her extra set of comfy clothes. She hands Holtz a large shirt and some soft sleep shorts. Holtz thanks her and walks to the bathroom to change. Holtz feels small in Erin’s clothes. The shirt falling almost past her mid-thigh and the shorts a bit big around her waist. Erin’s heart flutters when she sees Holtz walkout. The sight of the small woman in her clothes gives her a suspicious amount of butterflies in her stomach.

Erin guides an extremely tired Holtzmann to the couch. They sit down with a foot between them before Erin scouts over while pulling a couple of blankets over them. She turns on the TV and selects an old rom-com.

After about 20 minutes, Erin feels her own eyes getting heavy. They had both set their mugs down a couple of minutes ago. Now Holtz moves over and rests her hand on top of Erin’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” she asks quietly, not wanting any loud noises to disturb their peaceful environment.

“More than… To be honest I miss having someone to cuddle with.” Erin admits slowly.

Hearing her confirmation, Holtz shifts closer to Erin and rests her head on her chest. She is able to hear Erin’s steady heartbeat climbing, which makes her smile. She presses one of her legs into Erin’s and burrows into her. They both let out tiny sighs and let slow smiles spread over their faces.

Holtz finally feels comfortable, she feels warm and cozy and cuddly and at home. She lets the faint sound of the movie, of Erins slowing breaths, and her steady (now) heartbeat wash over her and lead to her sleep.

The last thing she - before she falls asleep is the sound of Erin’s rough voice whispering for her to sleep. So she does, feeling safe and loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Leave some comments below, they make me really happy. 
> 
> I was trying to write a little longer chapter this time and I ended at around 950 words. Kinda disappointing. 
> 
> Anyway, again leave some suggestions, thoughts & feelings, criticism below (or just tell me about your day). I love to hear what yall have to say! 
> 
> Have a great night/day - g


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin needs a massage. Enough said.

**five**

_ “I like to make you feel good, Erin.” Holtzmann whispers in her ear.  _

_ Erin's entire body breaks out in a shiver. It travels from her ear, trickles down her spine, pulses through her abdomen, and curls her toes.  _

  
  


Beginning the day, Erin had been excited to go to work, to see her friends, Holtz especially, she admits to herself. Holtz has been touching her a lot lately, somehow more than before. She suspects it’s because she has finally started touching back and made Holtz more comfortable. Even so, every new touch leaves Erin back in the dust. She can’t control her brain’s natural reaction to go on overdrive whenever Holtz touches her. It doesn't matter how small or with what part of her body, Erin loves it. Her appreciation for Holtz has also (again, somehow) risen. Because she’s just so goddamn beautiful, and Erin doesn't normally swear, but she feels it’s warranted here. It feels like Holtz is constantly playing a game, doing whatever she can to fluster Erin. 

Nowadays it doesn’t take much. Holtzmann just looks  _ so so so pretty _ all of the time. Erin doesn’t understand it. She likes to sit and watch and learn about Holtz’s beauty. She’ll watch as her fluffy curls fly around, as her eyes crinkle when she smiles, how her nose scrunches when she laughs, how her jaw moves as she talks. She watches the smooth length of her throat and the way her arm muscles move when she works. She watches the nimble fingers mess with whatever is in front of her (sometimes it’s Erin’s hand, then she’ll blush and stutter, and admire) or sometimes it’s her food (normally Erin would find it gross, but now she finds it endearing). And she watches Holtz just  **be.** God, if it isn't the most fascinating thing she has ever seen. 

Once arriving at work, she walks past the couch that she slept on with Holtz a couple of nights ago. She remembers waking up and feeling relieved that Holtz had stayed asleep and was now snoring (a little loudly) next to her. She had checked the clock and decided she could go for some more hours of sleep. She tentatively lays her head back down and cuddles back into Holtz whose warmth is heating her whole body. She makes sure to remember the feeling of holding the small woman, who was looking unusually peaceful in her arms.

Realizing she should actually  _ work,  _ Erin goes to her desk and starts. She works for hours. Alternating between her computer, paper notes, and using the whiteboard in front of her. Her feet and fingers start to cramp and become sore. Her eyes are now a little droopy and her shoulder burns from holding up her arm for so long. She heads to the kitchen and takes out her pre-packed lunch. She sits at the circular table and chews on her chicken salad. She brainlessly begins to sing. It’s just some song that’s been stuck in her head all day. That is until Holtz comes springing in. 

Today Holtz is wearing a maroon tank top, with some paint-splattered overalls, and black combat boots. Her hair is tied up in her usual curly updo. Again, Erin tries not to be so obvious with her staring and abruptly stops singing. 

“Wait, no. I wanna hear you sing.” 

Erin hesitates but continues to sing. Her voice sounds loud in the almost silent room. But then Holtz begins to sing along with her. Neither of their voices are the best but they blend together well. Erin forgets about her impending work and just let's go. 

She doesn’t do that with many people and Erin is proud of herself for being able to. But just like almost everything with Holtz, it’s easy. 

They sing until Holtz finishes making her coffee and waltzes out of the kitchen, her voice trailing out of the kitchen. 

Erin just smiles and continues to sing. Later Abby comes in and joins her for the end of her lunch, then it's back to work. 

Erin continues to work hard. Taking some quick breaks every once in a while to relieve her now sore shoulders. She’s rolling her neck, to try and relieve some of the pressure when Holtzmann questions her. 

“You good, sugarplum?”

“First of all, please don't call me that.” she says with a grin and maybe blushes. Then, “Yeah, I'm just sore from writing.” 

“I can massage you later, that happens to me a lot. Not to brag, but I am pretty good.” 

“Um? Sure, I guess. If you’re up for it” Erin mumbles while wiping her sweaty hands on the backs of her pants. 

Erin doesn’t know how she’s able to get any work down now. Now that she realizes that in a few hours Holtz will be touching her for a long period of time. She feels her knees wobble a little thinking about it. 

Erin is able to get a good few more hours of work when the clock hits 6’o clock, which is around the time she normally leaves. In anticipation of a possible massage from Holtz, she decides to continue working until Patty and Abby leave. And she hopes (nervously) that Holtz remembers her offer. 

Finally, Holtz walks out of her lab. “Ready for the massage of your life, sweetcheeks?” 

“Don’t get cocky there, Holtz.” 

“Okay, com’ere” 

Holtz leads Erin to sit on the couch, while Holtz walks around to stand behind her. Erin turns and watches as Holtzmann gently places her hands on Erin's shoulders. 

“It is your shoulders, right?” she double checks. 

“Yes, ma’am” Erin responds awkwardly. 

Holtz begins to massage her upper shoulders, gently pressing into them. She kneads more thoroughly and slowly moves her way down Erin’s back to begin massaging her upper back. She can feel the tension Erin is currently holding in her shoulders. 

“Hey, relax for me, okay?

Erin mumbles an “Mhmm” in response. 

Erin tries to completely relax her body. She lets her head slump forward a little bit and she attempts to let her body relax into Holtz's hands. Once she does it’s magical. She can feel the skill of Holtz’s fingers dig into her back. Slowly kneading out each muscle. Erin focuses on the soft hands touching her and on the light feeling of Holtz’s breathing on her head.

Eventually, it feels so good that Erin is suppressing low noises coming from her throat. 

It's silent only for the sound of their breathing and the low buzzing of machines from the other rooms until Holtz leans forward and whispers  _ “I like to make you feel good, Erin.”  _

Erin's entire body breaks out in a shiver. It travels from her ear, trickles down her spine, pulses through her abdomen, and curls her toes. 

_ “You can let it out, I don't mind _ ,” Holtz adds. 

So Erin does. First, when Holtz hits a particularly good spot on her mid-back, she lets out a groan. And then another when Holtz lightly rakes her hands up and down her back. 

It's the most beautiful noise, Holtz has  _ ever _ heard. She doesn’t want it to stop. She continues to work through the tension in Erin's shoulders and lets her noises wash over her. She massages until Erin feels like a pile of goo. She touches her until Erins clenching her fists to try and stop pressure from building where she doesn’t need it. She brushes her thumbs over the back of Erin’s neck and then applies pressure. Erin lets out a breathy sound almost like a moan. And  _ my god _ , Holtz could die right here and be happy. 

Erin wasn’t sure how much time had passed but eventually, Holtz worked out her tense muscles and traveled her hands a respectable amount down her back. She is done and sets her hands back by her sides.

Erin's mind is now foggy, most of its energy going to remain a stable, functioning human being. 

“Good?” Holtz questions. 

“I don’t want to inflate your ego but yes. That was so, so good.” Erin responds drowsily. 

She stands up to face Holtz with a pink face, her hair a little tussled form being pulled up into a loose bun, and her hands slick with sweat. Holtz wishes her goodnight and walks away, giving her a beaming smile (probably pleased from turning Erin into a mess of limbs and only some coherent thoughts.)

She walks home on shaky legs. She turns on her hot shower water and she falls apart thinking of Holtz’s hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE ALMOST THERE!
> 
> Comment your favorite cheesy trope! I'd loveeee to hear. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I appreciate all of you who do. <3
> 
> (ps this was 1400 words and the most i've written so far yay)


	6. six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's finally happening!!!   
> thank you for reading, hope you enjoy!

**and one**

It was a long and exhausting day. They were called in on a bust at about 2 pm and stayed there till 8 o’clock. Everyone was tired. The Ghostbusters had ventured 2 hours out of town to catch one very  _ annoying ghost. _

They walk back to the car, each dragging their feet and with terrible postures. Well, except for Holtzmann. She was walking next to Erin, with a bright look in her big blue eyes. Her feet were practically skipping and she had to keep slowing down to stay with the group. 

“Not to be inconsiderate, but why are you so bouncy, Holtzy?” Patty asks. 

“I’m just happy.” Holtzmann answers. “I’m glad I’m here with you guys.” 

Holtz meets Erin’s eyes and gives her maybe the most genuine smile she’s ever seen. It gives Erin butterflies low in her stomach. She returns one in hopefully the same appreciative manner. 

Erin feels like she understands Holtz, she understands that work is her job but also her escape, it's her happy place and where she has her family. Erin doesn’t know much about Holtz’s real family. But, she is glad that their small group of friends feels like one. They spend so much time together - and unlike a regular family, rarely get tired of each other. 

Erin loves Holtz likes this, her freeness is astounding to her. Her happiness almost squeezing out from her body. Her hair is more poofy than normal. Her jacket is rounding her shoulders and exposing the pale skin lying there. Erin thinks she looks like pure  _ light _ . The blond hair frizzy and framing her face. A yellow glow from the street lights on her face. The energy from her body is giving Erin more energy herself. 

But once Erin slides into the back seat of the car, her head immediately falls and her eyes blur the surrounding world. She barely notices when Holtz pops in next to her (she does notice though, she always does.) 

“Let’s drive a little, then maybe stop to get some food. Then we can head home.” Abby suggests from the driver's seat. 

_ God bless Abby. _ Erin thinks, glad someone stepped up to drive. 

They all nod at Abby’s plan and set off. 

Erin doesn’t remember most of the car ride. She is in and out of consciousness, falling asleep then jerking back awake (she has trouble falling asleep in places that aren’t a bed). But every time she snaps awake, Holtz places a comforting hand on her arm, they both smile. Then Erin turns her head back to the window to watch as the ground speeds by until her eyes shut again. 

Erin is awoken by the gentle arm of Holtzmann shaking her shoulder. 

“Hey, Erin, We’re here,” Holtz explains. 

They are pulling into an old diner looking place with a buzzing neon sign of the word  _ open _ . Abby parks the car in an almost empty parking lot and they slip out to go inside. 

Erin didn’t realize how hungry she was until they stepped into the heavenly smelling diner. They walked over to a booth. Erin slides in one side and following her comes Holtz scooting until the warmth from her leg can be felt through Erin’s suit. 

They all order burgers with different variations. Nothing noticeable happens but Erin feels a shift. Maybe it’s all the collective flirting and touching catching up with her but every time Holtz looks at her she feels it. Unabashed admiration. It makes her heart flutter. 

She can’t focus on the conversation around them. All she hears is Holtz’s laugh and beautifully smooth voice. She feels Holtz all around her too. Her arm occasionally presses into Erin’s and she feels the pressure of Holtzmann’s leg on hers. She’s surrounded by her. 

It’s a beautiful feeling. She’s here in a small-town diner, with her friends, and with Holtz. Sitting next to the window she can see the rain drizzling outside. The world seems small and anything feels possible. 

She hears Holtz say something next to her in response to Abby or Patty, she’s not sure which. And she lets herself look. Without any worry what Holtz will think. Because this just feels so right. She finally lets her eyes drop to Holtz's lips and  _ my god,  _ Erin’s never seen anything more beautiful. They’re pink and perfect and  _ wow! _

“Hello? Earth to Erin?” someone calls. 

“Oh, uh, oops, what? Sorry.” Erin rambles, returning from her daydream. 

When she does, Holtz's face is red and she’s biting her lip and Erin almost can’t handle it. 

For the rest of the meal, Erin senses Holtzmann’s stare against her face. And she feels it, hard. 

But sometimes when Erin feels  _ it,  _ she shuts down a little inside. Her mind goes a bit blank. The words that normally reach her tongue are no longer produced. Her leg shakes up and down, attempting to shake off this feeling. 

Because even though she knows that it’s going to be okay, it's still scary. And unknown. Erin doesn’t like the unknown, because she can’t plan or predict what will happen. She doesn’t know what Holtz is thinking. Maybe she is the only one in this. Maybe she was right before and Holtz just flirts with everyone. Maybe it’s all in her head. 

These thoughts swirl through her mind until she loses a sense of what’s around her but at the same time, she’s all too aware. She can feel judgment for her silence and the probably panicked look on her face. 

“Excuse me, I need some air,” she says as calmly as possible. She gestures for Holtz to scoot out of the booth so she can leave. 

“Uh, okay.” Holtz says “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah. Fine” she says under her breath. 

Erin scurries to the restaurant door and walks outside. It’s raining harder now and the cold drops hit her face. The wind stings her eyes. But she walks through it anyway. She finds her way to the car and pulls open the door. Her wet clothes stick to the seat as she slides in. 

She lets her head fall into her hands as her mind continues to churn. She’s not sure how long she is there until a door is being pulled open and Holtz is sliding onto the seat across from her.

“Erin? What's wrong” she asks softly. 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” She shuts herself off to Holtz. 

“I can help… If you tell me what's bothering you” 

“I'm just- I'm just scared.”

“Of what” 

“Of messing things up.'' She meets Holztmann’s eyes and hopes that hers are saying what her mouth can’t. 

Holtz nods and then says “Dance with me, Erin.” 

Erin, shocked by her spontaneous suggestion, says “No, what? It’s pouring.”

“So what, we're already gross. And we have towels in the car” she persists “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Holtz steps out of the car, walks around to Erin's side in the rain. Erin would like to say she was persuaded by Holtz’s words or of her own free will. But it felt inevitable. With Holtzmann’s damp hair falling into stringy waves and the rain running down her face. Her clothes become damper by the second and clearly  _ stick  _ to Holtz’s body. 

“Okay,” Erin breathed. She steps out of the car and immediately feels the wetness of the drops of rain on her face again, a little lighter this time.

Erin has never been a good dancer, but now she easily steps into Holtz’s arms with trust. Her hands loosely fall around Holtz’s neck, while Holtzmann’s hands find an appropriate spot on her waist. 

It feels like a dream. Holtz moves them around the dimly lit parking lot. Providing the pavement with shine and giving them an angelic feel. It feels like the most intimate thing she’s ever done with someone. It’s mostly silent, just the noise of the wind and the rain. And Holtz’s slow melodic breathing. 

They twist around over the wet pavement. Slowly getting closer together, until Holtz is  _ so  _ close. Erin can see the small lines of her face move and pull as she smiles. Erin is in disbelief because she still can’t believe it. No matter how many times she looks at her. She is so exquisite. 

She lets her head fall to Holtz's shoulder, bending a little to do so. She hears Holtzmann’s breath hitch. 

“I would never in a million years do this with anyone else, I hope you know that” Erin offers. Her voice trembles and it rumbles against Holtz’s neck. 

“I do.” … ‘Thank you for dancing with me, ' she quietly answers. 

Erin pulls her head up just a little distance to be only a couple of inches between their faces. 

“Holtz…earlier... I…” 

She lets her eyes drop again to  _ Jillian’s _ lips. It feels right at this moment. She feels like Jillian right now, soft under Erin’s hands, eyes wide in question, and lips slightly parted. 

She hopes Holtz gets the clue because Erin doesn’t know if she can say it and her heart is pounding so fast she swears Holtz can hear it. 

Her eyes are still focused on the soft pink lips in front of her. She flutters her eyes to Holtz’s. They’re wide and dilated. 

“Erin?” Holtz whispers. “Can I...Can I kiss you?” 

“Yes, yes, please” she all but begs. 

Holtz lifts her hand to lightly grab Erin’s face and lowers it. She presses their foreheads together. Their noses brush. She can feel Jillian's breath on her lips. It makes her shiver. 

“Come on, Holtz. Kiss me.” 

So Holtz does. She connects their lips. Holtz tastes like heaven and rain. She moves her lips slowly against Erin’s. Erin brings her hand to rest on Holtzmann’s wet cheek. 

Holtz pulls her close. Their wet bodies now pressed together. The heat from Holtz’s body overpowers the coolness of the rain. She runs her fingers through wet hair and pushes her body further into her. Her other hand falls to grasp at her waist while both of Holtzmann’s hands frame her face, entrusting that they are as close as possible. 

Erin pulls away for a quick breath. “You have no idea how much I have wanted to do that,” Erin admits hoarsely. 

Holtz just pulls her back in. Without even realizing they were moving, Erin feels her back hit a hard surface and she realizes she’s against their car. She curves her torso into Holtz and lets herself go. 

Holtz’s hand finds Erin’s collar and presses into the top of her chest, fingers spreading across her collarbone. She feels the touch coil in her stomach and lets out a small gasp, allowing Holtz to carefully press her tongue into Erin’s mouth. Erin lets out a soft moan. 

Erin desperately pulls at Holtz’s clothing, needing her impossibly closer. Until she hears a holler from the restaurant. Holtz slowly pulls away, her hands slipping off of Erin's back. 

“Finally!” Patty and Abby shout as they walk towards the car. 

Erin just smiles. 

They hop back in the car and wrap some extra towels around themselves.

Erin doesn’t hesitate to curl up Holtz. She prods her face into her neck and feels an arm fall around her back. Holtz is soft and she smells good, so Erin presses a tiny kiss to her neck and smiles against her skin.

  
She’s so  **_happy._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate anyone who read this far! Thank you :)
> 
> let me know any thoughts you have or if you possibly want an epilogue! 
> 
> (also i don't know if anyone cares but this chapter ended up being 1800+ words, that makes me happy)

**Author's Note:**

> hey! thanks for reading. leave your thoughts below if you want. also ill take any criticism someone gives, im looking to get better! 
> 
> also, the next chapters will probably be a bit shorter than this one  
> \- g


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